Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royal player who is the youngest ever to score an IPL 50 comes from a sporting background. His father played Ranji for Assam and his mother is a former swimmer. The young player made his debut for the IPL team in 2019 and has been with them since then. In this piece, we will have a look at his journey and how he has performed in this mega event.
The player had shown potential in other formats of the game at a very young age. In youth tests against England, he scored three 50’s in four innings when he was only 16. Parag was also a part of the U-19 WC winning squad for India. A young talent needed opportunity, and then IPL happened.
The debut season
Parag made his debut against Chennai Super Kings on 11th April 2019 and scored 16(14). In that season he played 5 innings and scored 160 runs at a decent strike rate of 126.98. Three 40 + scores, involving a half-century, the player had a good outing and showed his ability against different bowling attacks. RR has been known for backing youngsters and with such a start Parag would have been one of them in the upcoming season.
2020 IPL Season
RR did not have a good season and ended at the bottom of the table. For the youngster, it was a testing time and probably he got the real taste of one of the highest standards of cricket. In 8 innings he could manage only 86 runs at a very low strike rate of 111.69. Playing at no.5 or no.6 you are required to get going from the first or the second ball and Parag was struggling to do so and with so many options in the top order, there was no other position available.
One magical performance
In a season of disappointment and struggle for the youngster, Parag along with Rahul Tewatia helped RR chase down a target from a nearly impossible position. Chasing 159, the team was 78-5 with all the pure batsmen back in the pavilion. At the end of 16 overs they needed around 50-55 runs and with overs of Rashid Khan and T Natarajan remaining. When the innings ended Parag was celebrating with his dance moves at it was a great chase by the two youngsters. The player scored 42 from 26 balls with two fours and two sixes. This innings came in the middle of the tournament and probably RR would have hoped that the player now has some confidence and would probably contribute more. In the remaining season he could make only 21 runs in 21 balls in the 3 innings he got to bat.
The 2021 Season
With so many foreign players missing out due to injuries and other reasons, the youngsters in the team had a great opportunity to take responsibility and make a good name for themselves. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag were probably going to be a regular feature in the team. While Parag started this season with a quick cameo of 25 runs from 11 balls against Punjab Kings, he has not been able to replicate the same after that. In the following 9 innings, he has only two scores in the double-digit. The player is struggling to find any form even after so many opportunities. Averaging just 11 with a strike rate of 112, Parag has not been able to improve his IPL stats, and his debut season still remains his best performance.
Conclusion
RR has three games in hand for this season and with a very less chance of reaching the next stage. It will be interesting to see whether Parag will get another opportunity especially when you have someone like Shivam Dube who has scored more than Parag whenever given the chance sitting in the dugouts. It’s not only this player who has been struggling for RR, but the majority of the players have not been able to perform up to a certain standard. Parag’s lack of runs in this scenario is having a much more negative impact.
After this season, the mega auction is going to take place and RR will have retains the likes of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, and Samson. And one of the youngsters if retained can be Chetan Sakariya or Jaiswal. Parag most probably should find a new team and will need to score heavily in the domestic circuit to gain more confidence.